Please Give Me an A
by verecund
Summary: Fed up with switching schools, May convinces her parents to let her live on her own for the remainder of her student career. On her first day she meets an obnoxious man who just happens to be her homeroom teacher! Let's hope that May survives the school year (Don't worry, it's a wholesome student-teacher relationship...for the most part).
1. New Old Home

May hugged her knees as the truck rattled on its way to her new home.

OK, it wasn't exactly _new,_ the move was more of a change than anything else. The brunette had already lived in the town of Littleroot before, but because her father's occupation, her family had the habit of hopping from place to place. Needless to say, the girl wasn't too happy at the prospect of constantly losing her friends. Ever since her younger days she was shuffled to different schools, so as soon as she established her presence in the student body she had to leave to start the process all over again. Fed up with this routine, May appealed to her parents and convinced them that she could live on her own for the remainder of her student career...which was only a year and a half. Yeah, it was a bit late, but she wasn't going to argue it now that she got what she wanted.

At the moment, May was contemplating why she was even in the back of the moving truck. "Normally I would be seated up front with the driver...right? So why in Hell's name am I WITH ALL OF THE CARGO?!" she let out an exasperated sigh. Luckily the trip was almost over as she noticed that the vehicle seemed to slow down.

Soon enough the back of the truck was lifted, allowing light to flood into the compartment. May squinted her eyes in order to not blind herself completely.

"I can only help you take out your possessions from the truck so you'll have to move all of your things to your apartment by yourself," said the mover. "Oh. Um, okay. Thank you." The teenager thought of writing to this moving company later. First having her ride in the back with all of the furniture and now having to carry and arrange them all by herself? She felt frustrated, but pushed it away since she wasn't the type to hold a grudge against such trivial things.

* * *

All of her things were now on the ground. She stared at the items, then at her apartment, then back at the items again. "I really don't want to do this," she groaned, but she reasoned that it was best to get everything into her new home before it got dark. May made a (rather feeble) attempt to lift up one of the boxes and let out a sound similar to that of a wheezing old man. She tried a few more times before giving up and focusing on the lighter inventory. However, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

Surprised by the sudden contact, May let out a yelp and whacked the perpetrator squarely on the nose.

"What the heck May!" the person winced. The girl's sapphire eyes grew when she recognized the voice and the body that was on the ground.

"Oh...OH OHMIGOSH I'm am _SO_ sorry Brendan." She fretted over the dark haired boy and helped him up as he pinched his nose.

"Feisty as ever I see!" he laughed, a bit painfully. He felt another whack on his back.

"So...do you want to help me move my things?" May asked.

"Wait. No 'Hi, how are you?' or 'Gosh I haven't seen you in, like, seven years, I've missed you so much' or, my favorite, 'Wow, you sure have changed into a very handsome guy'? My feelings are hurt, May. I thought we were childhood friends."

"Wow, you sure have changed into such an attractive guy. I bet all of the girls fawn over you. OK, Childhood Friend, now help me set up my apartment."

The boy did as he was told, fighting off his blush from her previous statement as much as he could. He knew they both joking around, but why was he so affected? "It's probably just because I haven't seen her in so long," he muttered under his breath. Though, another part told him that it was because her compliment was genuine. "What did you say?" the girl asked after she placed the last piece of furniture inside. "Nothing." She quirked an eyebrow but questioned no further.

"DONE AT LAST!" the brunette cheered, stretching her arms over her head. Brendan, however, was lying face down on the floor. He, being the guy, was delegated to handle all of the heavy stuff and was now thoroughly pooped.

"It's my first day in my new home and I already have a dead person inside. I can't believe the luck that I have," May expressed fake irritation.

"OH! THAT'S RIGHT!" Brendan shouted, causing May to jump.

"...What?" she cocked her head to the side.

The teenage boy got up into a sitting position before continuing, "Since my family knew you were moving back here today, we prepared some dinner for you. We didn't think you would have any time to cook so-"

"I'll go! Thank you so much!" She gave Brendan a quick hug and started to drag him towards the entrance of her apartment.

"But aren't you going to unpack the rest-"

"Oh hush, your parents probably worked very hard on this meal and it wouldn't be polite if we kept them waiting!" She halted her pursuit to bring along the keys to her apartment, which she had forgotten, then started to move again while hurriedly tugging on Brendan's jacket sleeve. After all these years, her appetite still hasn't changed. The boy chuckled at the thought.

* * *

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Birch," May greeted politely as she entered into their house.

"MAAAAYYYY!" the older woman replied happily. She brought May into a tight embrace. Clutching the teenager's shoulders, she pulled her back to get a good look at her. "I know this sounds cliché, but I'm gonna say it anyway. 'My, how you've grown!'" Mrs. Birch nudged her son afterward. "She looks pretty cute, am I right?" Both of the youths blushed.

"_Mom!_"

"Now Dear," Mr. Birch started, clapping his hands together, "Let's finish this conversation at the dinner table that way the food doesn't get cold." The woman nodded and pushed the children towards the food. "Sounds good! You kids have great timing - we just finished cooking!"

May had no trouble taking down five portions plus dessert. She just couldn't help it. She loved Mrs. Birch's food when she was younger and she loves it now. The blue-eyed girl was absolutely stuffed, but then again, so were the rest of the people.

When dinner was over, everyone sat down in the living room. The Birch's were eager to catch up with May. Questions ranged from "have you encountered any new species of flora/fauna?" to "do you have a boyfriend?" May did her best to keep up with all of the inquires, but she was running low on energy. Brendan noticed.

"Um, I think we should stop for today. It's getting pretty late and plus we can also ask more things later," the boy suggested. His parents complied, though a bit hesitantly, allowing May to leave.

"I'll walk you home," Brendan offered. The girl gave a grateful nod, thanked his parents, and then headed out with him.

"I just wanted to say thanks," said May.

"Again?"

"Yeah. Again. It was so nice of your family to serve me dinner. It's also nice of you to help me unpack."

"You kinda forced me to."

"Maybe I kinda did, but you never _had_ to." May had him there. Man, what a pushover he was.

"I'll see you again at school then. I hope you don't have too much trouble transitioning. After all, you're entering in the middle of the year!"

"That's true. But if I ever need help, I'll just come to you then!" the girl shot him a grin.

"You wish!"

"Hey!"

"Bye, May!" the dark haired boy said with a wave. May waved back and waited until he was out of sight before going into the apartment complex. She rushed inside, eager to get to her new home. "Oof!" she bumped into someone. The seventeen year old girl apologized profusely to the stranger to which they replied in a, what May will come to remember as, kind voice, "No worries. Just please be careful and watch where you're going." They were too tall to see, but she was able to make out a suit of some sort. A short, "Okay sir," escaped her lips then she sped away justifiably embarrassed.

Upon entering the flat, she made her way to the bathroom to wash up and get ready to sleep. Nothing was really ready yet so she created a makeshift bed. She reveled in the comfort of the blanket and pillows. Absolutely tired from the day's events, it didn't take long for her to drift into a deep slumber.

* * *

_Beep, beep._

"Urrrgggghhhhh..."

_Beep, beep._

"O-okay. I know. I know," May moaned groggily while silencing her alarm clock. She slowly lifted herself up from her sleeping position and wiped her eyes. "Seven o'clock...huh..." That means that I have one hour to get ready for school, she thought.

The weekend went by in a flash. May arrived in Littleroot on Friday that way she could spend two more days unpacking her things as well get used to the area again. Her apartment actually looked presentable now!

After getting dressed, eating, and brushing her teeth, she heard the doorbell ring. "Ah, that must be Brendan," the teenager girl said to herself out loud. She gathered all of the school necessities and greeted her friend at the door.

"Good morning, May!"

"And to you too!"

"Are you ready to go?" Brendan asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." The brunette replied with a shrug. With that, the two started their walk to school.

May asked Brendan to guide her on her first day of school since she didn't want to get lost. It wasn't that she was bad with directions or anything, well maybe a little bit, she was just the type who needed to get familiar with her surroundings before being comfortable walking alone. In any case, she felt relieved when the boy accepted her request. She also felt bad to some degree at her amount of requests, but Brendan reassured her that it was fine and that he wanted to help out.

"Wow, I didn't know the route was so simple! I can easily remember it on the first try," May exclaimed.

"Great," her childhood friend laughed, "and here I thought that my sleep would've been reduced for at least a few months. I'm saved!"

"You're welcome," the girl responded, slightly offended, and huffed away. Of course, she was just teasing him but she also saw this as an opportunity to explore the school by herself before class started. She still had thirty or so more minutes to spare since the trek was so quick.

* * *

The campus was pretty large. On the front of the main building it said, "Petalburg High School" and around it were flowers of various types. May passed by it, however, when she saw something else that caught her eye. A greenhouse. She didn't know whether it was okay to enter it or not, but her curiosity got the better of her and she went inside anyway. "How beautiful," she breathed. Even though it was modest in size, it still held a myriad of different types of plants. Her eyes were instantly drawn to some blue flowers.

"They're forget-me-nots."

May spun around to find the source of the voice. Her eyes trailed to the person's feet up to their face...It was a man. He looks pretty young, she thought. What she found most interesting was his silvery blue hair and steel grey eyes. He's handsome too, she added.

"Oh, so that's their name," she stuttered out.

"Indeed. You must be new, I haven't seen you around before. I'll escort you to the main office," the man said.

"Thank you, sir." With that, he proceeded to lead May towards their destination. When they reached the office, blue-haired man turned around to face the girl.

"Also, I hope you don't forget me," he started.

This confused May. "Pardon?"

"Because you'll be seeing me after school in detention." The brunette lifted up her face and stared at him with a gaping mouth.

"What!? Why?" she yelped, surprised and a bit furious.

"Unauthorized people are not allowed in the greenhouse," he answered simply. "Only faculty and students have access."

"B-but I AM a student!" May argued.

"Not yet you aren't." Before May could retort, one of office workers called her inside. May sent a death glare in the direction of the man as she saw him grin and leave. "What a jerk," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

May got all of the paperwork settled and was educated on some of the policies of school. The transition was pretty painless.

"You should get to your homeroom now. Your teacher is Mr. Stone, he's on the second floor in room 208," the worker directed. The brunette gave her thanks then began her journey.

She stopped at the door and took a deep breath to try and ease her nerves. The girl was late due to her registration, so class was already in session. "No matter, all I have to do is walk in." So she did.

Upon opening the door, she was met with the gaze of a familiar man. His steel grey- "IT'S YOU!" May shouted her realization, pointing at the teacher with silver blue hair.

"Class, meet our new student, May." He was totally undeterred by her outburst. "She just transferred today, I hope that you all get along well with her." When he finished, Mr. Stone gave the seventeen year old a knowing grin. The brunette waved sheepishly at her new classmates. "Hi, I'm May Maple. Nice to meet you."

Mr. Stone placed a hand thoughtfully on his chin. "Hmm...let's find you a seat...Ah! Why don't you sit next to Wally? Please raise your hand."

A boy who looked far too young to be in high school raised his hand. Next to him was an empty desk. At least her seat was also right next to a window. Score...? "Hello, Wally. I look forward to sitting with you!" she greeted the green-haired boy. He responded with a light nod and smile.

"Now class, let's back to the discussion at hand. Now, as I was saying, beryl is a mineral that can be found in multiple countries such as Brazil, Colombia, South Africa..." He went on about the formations of said mineral and about others like it. May was wondering if her teacher should have been focusing more on the topic of chemistry rather than some mineral-things. This was a chemistry class, not geosystems...right? The class itself was actually interesting, so that made it fly by pretty quickly. When it was over, all of the students started to file out of the room. May had intended to do that too, but the grey-eyed teacher motioned her over.

Then she remembered. "So, May, did you like this class?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, cautious about where this conversation was going. But I don't like you, she mentally added.

"That's good. Were you surprised to see me?"

"You already knew."

"Already knew what? That you were surprised or that you would be in my class?"

"Both," May answered, scowling.

The older man let out a light laugh, obviously amused at her reaction. "Well, Ms. Maple, I hope you come in after school today," Mr. Stone said with a smile, but his tone told her that she had no choice. "Yes...sir."

This next year and a half is going to be a long one.

* * *

_A/N: And this concludes the end of the first chapter! Don't worry, this is a hoennchampionshipping fic, despite all of the Brendan stuff earlier in the chapter. I just wanted to do the good ol' school au for fun. To fit this, I also altered their personalities (just a smidge). I hope they aren't too off-putting. (If you're not into student-teacher relationships, then you should probably stop at this chapter)  
_

_This is the first multi-chapter story that I'll be working on. It's also one that will be going against one of my principles. That is, chapters may not always be updated regularly. I'll be writing this as I go, in simpler terms. I mean, I have an idea as to where this fic will go, but nothing is already pre-written. So I can't have a set schedule. I'm sorry, I know how it feels to wait. But this story WILL get finished, no need to worry!_

_So um, with all of that said, please do review! Tell me what you like/dislike. I might add some things depending on what you suggest. Also, please tell me if I had made any grammatical/punctuation errors so I can fix them!_


	2. Club Activites

"So what class is next?" May was looking at her schedule as she sauntered towards the next room. "Uh...world history with...hmm...Mr. Wallace Lebeau." She scratched the back her head a few times trying to figure out how to pronounce her teacher's last name. Not too long after her unsuccessful attempts, she heard some footsteps approaching.

"May!"

She stopped in her tracks and waited for the person to catch up. "Oh, it's Brendan."

The boy frowned a bit. "About this morning-"

"That? Oh, it's fine. I was just teasing you, I'm not sour about it," she reassured him.

Brendan's face lit up. "Really? That's good. I felt kinda bad and...I'm glad you're OK. I mean you're more important than my sleep. Anyway, what's your next class?"

May took out her schedule and glanced over it once more. "World history." The dark-haired boy made an 'o' shape with his mouth. "With Mr. Wallace?" he asked. She nodded. "Cool, we're in the same class. I'll show you the way!" May followed after the boy. She couldn't help but wonder if there were any implications regarding his previous statement.

"_You're more important than my sleep."_

"Eh, we're just really good friends, I guess." She smiled at the thought. How nice it is to have someone who'll always be there for support.

When they reached the classroom, May almost bumped into Brendan. He stopped suddenly to allow someone else to pass through. Still, the brunette was starting to grow concern over her lack of awareness of her surroundings. "We're here," the teenage boy stated. Then something occurred to May.

"Wait, you call him Mr. Wallace?"

"That's a pretty late reaction, May." He couldn't help but grin at her realization. "Yeah, everyone calls him that. He prefers being called by his first name, though, to make things easier." He heard her murmur something about her wasting time on trying to say the teacher's name. His grin grew.

* * *

After entering the room Brendan sat down at his desk while May was called up front. Most likely for introductions, she guessed. She would have to do this for the remainder of her classes too.

"Good Morn-ing class~!" said the person who she believed to be Mr. Wallace. He, too, had blue hair. To be more accurate, teal was the color. His flamboyant choice of clothing also threw her off. No matter, she had more unusual teachers before. The brunette shuddered. "Today I would like to introduce to you your new classmate, May!" The teacher motioned his arms towards her with jazz hands for extra effect. May waved to the other students and gave the customary spiel about herself. When she finished, Mr. Wallace started talking again, "Please try to make her feel welcome~! If you don't, I have a spare outfit you'll have try on~! It has sequins and spandex~!" His voice was playful but everyone cringed. "May, feel free to sit wherever you'd like!" She scanned the classroom for any empty seats. Before going to her desk she thanked the teacher.

"Hi there!" The girl beside her greeted. "I'm Dawn Berlitz." She had dark blue hair and was clad in all pink. She seems friendly enough, May thought as she sat down.

"Hello. I'm May."

"I _already_ know that, silly. You just did your introduction," the blunette pointed out. May blushed a bit. Of course the other girl would know! "Yeah...that's true. Um, not to be a bother but..."

"But what?" Dawn looked at her curiously.

"Is he always like this?"

"You mean threatening students with the possibility of having to wear his 'special' outfit?"

"That too."

"Hmm, not really. He only does it as a joke...we think."

"Think?"

The blunette shrugged. "Mr. Wallace is totally against bullying and other types of harassment which is probably why he uses that incentive. Good man with morals. Outfits? Questionable."

May couldn't help but chuckle at Dawn's latter statement.

"Dawn~!" Both of the girls' heads shot up, each having a mini heart attack. The history teacher started walking towards their desks. The brunette caught a certain dark-haired boy stifling his laughter. "I'll get you later," May mouthed whilst scowling at him. To her dismay he continued on.

"I know you're quite the chatter box," Mr. Wallace said looking at Dawn, "and with the amount you go on disrupting my class I'm starting to think that you actually _want _to wear the spare clothes..."

Said girl lifted her hands and shook her head vehemently. "Mr. Wallace, I most certainly do NOT want to. No offense."

The eccentric man expressed mock shock, but recovered. "In all seriousness I'm okay with you talking, just not when I'm instructing. Because I really can't call you out on that when I tend to talk a mile a minute."

"Ain't that the truth!" a student called out. In response the older man put a hand on his heart a sighed dramatically. "That's it. I'm a failure as a teacher. My students don't even respect me, I might as well quit. Maybe start a revolution." The students rolled their eyes. If anything the teacher's exclamation was false. A lot of them looked up to the man who stuck by his values.

"And on the topic of revolutions, let's return to the Johto revolution, shall we?" Mr. Wallace steered the classed back on track.

"I guess he's done with us," May whispered to her seatmate. "I hope so!" They hushed the instant the world history instructor sent a knowing glance towards them.

May found the class to be fun. Although, the classwork at the moment was easy for her despite it being an advanced course. To be fair, she did cover the topics in her last school already.

* * *

The day went on and the brunette said her 'hello's in each class. The next two subjects were phys. ed. then math also with Wally and Dawn, respectively. It made May feel better to know that she was familiar with at least one person in each class (so far).

Not too long after finishing up her fourth period, pre-calc, May's stomach started to rumble. Fortunately it was now lunch break.

May wasn't in the position to make her own lunches at the moment so she had to settle for school food. Not that she minded, Petalburg High had a reputation for tasty lunches. She walked down the hallway going to the cafeteria escorted by Dawn. Seeing it as her, self-proclaimed, but still genuine, responsibility, the blunette thought it natural to do so. Plus they just came from the same class so that might have had something to do with it.

"Wow, May, your stomach sure is loud," Dawn commented, not with bad intentions, of course.

"A-ah, yeah. I'm pretty hungry. I ate breakfast but it guess it wasn't able to satisfy my body for long enough," the sapphire-eyed girl replied while rubbing her abdomen, now fully conscious of the sounds it was making. With some of her boyish qualities one wouldn't see May as the type to be embarrassed about this sort of thing, but May was still a girl and so had her insecurities.

They reached their destination fairly quickly and took their place in the lunch line. May let her eyes wander around the room still getting used to the new environment.

The school as a whole was much larger than her previous one. Then again, her last school was a charter school and in nature such schools had a smaller population. Still, Petalburg High had a lot of students.

May surveyed the room and settled on a familiar head of black. "BRENDAN!" she called out. Said boy turned around and waved his hand. After retrieving their lunches, May and Dawn walked towards the table Brendan was sitting at. Noticing that the blunette had no qualms about following her, May came to the conclusion that she sat there regularly. There was another person accompanying her childhood friend so Dawn probably knew them.

"Hey May, Dawn," the dark-haired boy greeted, nodding to each girl respectively.

"Hi, Brendan," the girl in pink replied as she sat down. May just grinned.

"So who's this?" a blond-haired boy asked. He wore a white and orange striped jacket and a green scarf? May never understood the purpose of wearing a scarf indoors, but if that's what a person wanted to wear, power to them! "I guess I'll have to fine you if ya don't answer..." the blond crossed his arms, looking a bit impatient.

"Good gosh, Barry would you stop with the fining business?!" Dawn groaned. She whacked the boy on the back since she was next to him.

"For that assault I'll need to fine- "

"This is May," Brendan cut him off. "She just moved a few days ago." At this, the girl in question rose her hand, verifying the she did indeed do what her friend had described. "Hi, Barry."

"In the middle of the year? Wait, how did you know my name?" Barry asked looking dumbfounded.

"She heard me call it out you gosh darn cake!" Dawn sassed.

"A-haha, I guess that makes sense," the scarf-boy said with a silly grin while rubbing the back of his head. May decided with that nickname the moment she saw the green piece of fabric. She would never say it out loud though, lest he actually were to fine her.

All the while as Dawn listened to Barry complain about being called a dessert, May was going to town on her lunch. She paused the moment she heard the person next to her laughing a bit. She swallowed the last of her meal. "You seem hyped up on giggle juice today, Brendan."

"I-I'm sorry, ahaha, you're just really into food. I like that," the boy said. When he recovered he asked, "Oh, how did it go?"

"Go?"

"With your parents, I mean."

"Oh, OH!" May made a sour face, then began to explain her weekend. "So you know how you helped me and we went to eat dinner and stuff?" Brendan nodded. "Well right after that I got ready and went to bed. The next morning I was woken up by a phone call. And guess what?"

"What?"

"My parents were soooooo pissed. As soon as I accepted the call all I could hear was screaming voices. Apparently I had forgot to call them as soon as I arrived..." the brunette looked to the side sheepishly.

Brendan started to laugh again. "Th-that's fantas-tic, woo boy, May." He was clutching his stomach. May made a pouting face. "Hey, don't laugh when you were one of the reasons I forgot!"

"Ms. Maple, I apologize for helping you unpack and offering you food," at the end of the sentence, the dark-haired boy continued his giggle fits. He laughs too much, May thought. She was thinking that he should stop before he'd hurt himself, but decided that maybe it was best if he ruptured something. He wouldn't laugh then. However, she'd feel really bad if that were to happen so she brushed his teasing aside.

"Dawn?" May called to her new acquaintance.

"Hmm?" Dawn looked towards May.

"I didn't know you knew Brendan."

"Ah, yeah. I do. He was friends with Barry so I guess that's how it all happened. Well...actually there's two more people who sit here that introduced me to your buddy here, but they're both gone at the moment," she motioned her hands to the empty seats, "as you can see."

"I see," the sapphire-eyed girl responded lamely. She was pretty curious as to who they were. I hope to meet them soon, she thought.

* * *

Lunch wrapped up leaving May to go to her next class: language. Her teacher, Lenora Caro, was a very nice woman. She really knew a lot of things! OK, most of information was general, but still! May was amazed at Ms. Caro's command of language. How many did her teacher know? Three? Five? All in all, the girl thoroughly enjoyed the class. However, what May was really anticipating was her music class. It was her last period if she didn't count study hall at the end of the day.

The seventeen-year-old was trying her best to contain her excitement. May had an affinity for music and she could play a mean piano piece. Not to brag, but she had a knack for picking up instruments. Her only flaw was that she never played in front of crowds. One person or two she could do. It's just the age-old stage fright. The brunette hastily entered the room and took an open seat. Thankfully she could take whichever one she wanted since there were never any assigned seats in music classes. Plus no one minded when she asked other students. She took a spot near the window.

The bell rang and May was wondering what was up with the instructor. She was late. Her teacher was Mr. Wallace's niece, Lisia Lebeau. Also known as Ms. Lisia. The young woman was apparently a well known entertainer. This came as news to the transfer student because she had never heard of Lisia Lebeau until earlier that week. May's head shot up at the sound of hurried footsteps, eyes trained on the doorway.

Wow, Ms. Lisia sure looks really young, May thought as her teacher walked in. In fact, she seemed no older than the brunette by a year or two. The idol went towards front of the classroom and apologized for her tardiness. "Sorry about that. I just came from an interview and rushed on over here as fast as I could! I know, first time you've seen me in a month. But don't worry, I'll be here from now on," the teal-haired lady laughed. She then proceeded to scan the room and take roll. "...And I see we have a new student!" she announced, locking her eyes with May's. "Please raise your hand and introduce yourself~!" The seventeen-year-old lifted up her hand and said her well rehearsed lines.

"All ri-ght ev-ery-one~! Let's get start-ed~!"

Music class included not only the basics, but also learning how to play different instruments, compose, and perform. But since it was the middle of the school year, most of the students had already chosen an instrument and were working on a piece of music.

"Oh, May?" Ms. Lisia called. Said girl got up from her seat and approached the idol. "Because you just transferred in, I was wondering if you'd like to be exempt from the composing project? The class is pretty far ahead, even without me it seems!"

May thought about it for a few seconds and decided a challenge would be good for it. "It's alright. I can still try! I already know some of the ins and outs of music so I think I'll be okay." The young girl mentally thanked her mother for forcing her to take piano lessons.

"Ah, I see. Since you're willing, I'm gonna hafta let you do it then! Also, I'll extend your due date by a month compared to the other students," the instructor said with a wink. "I have an outline for the project. Uhh...let me read some of the requirements...'All students must compose at least two songs, though they are encouraged to write more if they so please. Each song must be different in genre and can be for any musical instrument, including vocal,' Oh, what else is there...Ah! 'They are required to perform their piece in front of a crowd. Stage presence will be graded as well'." Ms. Lisia paused from reading and added, "Just a bit of a side note, since there's like a spring break celebration, most of the students will be doing their thing then. It's in two months. But you'll have to do it near the end of the school year I suppose. And I guess that's the due date. There's no fixed day, you'll just have to show me your piece within that time frame." May nodded in understanding.

"Uhm...when I perform, does it have to be in front of a large audience?"

"Stage fright? I don't think you need ta worry too much~! Ten or more people would be fine for now." The lady caught on quick.

The young girl hesitated a bit. "Oh okay, I'll do my best!" Truthfully she wasn't sure if she could handle that many, but it shouldn't be _that_ bad.

The rest of the period was spent planning her final project. May had already decided on playing the piano. A logical choice since that was the instrument she was most familiar with. Time went on and May was so heavy into planning that she didn't notice that the bell had already rang. Soon enough she was the only one left, save for Ms. Lisia. This wasn't much of a problem, though, since it was now a free period.

"Oh, May?" The brunette looked up. "While I love that you're working so hard, I need to leave right now to attend a photo shoot. So I'll have to lock up the classroom. You're free to go someplace else. Nobody should really care since it's just study hall."

"That's fine Ms. Lisia."

"Fabulous!" the young woman said with a wave.

When they both left the room May went around wandering the hallways. She wanted to find the library since it would, or should, be a fairly quiet place to reside in.

"...Where am I?" the girl asked herself, hopelessly lost. "Well Brendan's off somewhere and Dawn's, I don't know about Dawn." May sighed at her predicament. In the end, she gave up on the library idea and settled for any place she could find that wasn't too loud.

She continued her search. Moments later her eyes landed on and open doorway. Curious by nature, May entered the room. There were plenty of bookshelves, and books, that she started to wonder if she _did_ actually find the library after all. But upon closer inspection, each of the shelves had a small layer dust and documents were scattered everywhere. Such conditions would be unusual for well-used library. Being the dutiful girl that she was, May picked up the papers and placed them on a nearby table before continuing her exploration.

Something shiny flashed by her eye. Past one of the shelves May caught a glimpse of what she thought was a stone. She craned her neck to try and get a better view but immediately regretted her decision.

There was a man sleeping by one of the windows in the room and not just any man, _that_ man. Cautiously, May came towards him. She did her damnedest not to wake him up. "Let's see if I can just-" The silver-blue-haired man stirred. The girl let out a breath she was holding. "Phew, that was close." She started to reach for the stone, however, she was stopped by a hand around her wrist.

"Your curiosity is going to get you in trouble...Oh wait, I guess that already happened." The man below her grinned, eyes still closed. May tugged on her arm, struggling to get to the door.

"What's the rush? You're going to have to see me again anyway so why not stay here?"

He had a point there. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe I wanted a bit of alone time. You know. Without _you_," May replied, a bit salty.

"Need I remind you that_ I _was here first and that _you_ disrupted my alone time?" he shot back. "Now that you're here, May, why don't you just spend the rest of your time with me before detention?" Mr. Stone repeated. May bit her lip and ran through her options. Concluding that she shouldn't try to resist any further she nodded her head in defeat and accepted her fate. "Sure...I guess."

With his hand still wrapped around the girl's wrist he pulled her down gently to the same level. When he released her, May quickly pulled her knees in close and hugged them. "So, what do you want Mr. Stone?" she asked him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"I just want to get to know you better. I'm an innocent man, believe me! We got off on the wrong foot so the best way to fix that, I think, is to get better acquainted with each other, yes?"

"I guess that's alright...but let me ask a question first."

"Go ahead."

"I noticed that you were quick to stop me from touching that stone up there," May pointed to the shiny blue object on the windowsill, "Do you perhaps like those kinds of things?"

"Things!? They are not merely objects May. Such beautiful formations borne from the Earth should be regarded as-" the science teacher paused. The girl took note the pink tint on his cheeks. "Erm, yes. I do indeed enjoy observing those kinds of.._things_. Now that I revealed myself there's not point in holding it back I suppose." Ah, so that's why there was excessive discussion on beryl today, she realized.

May was thoroughly amused by his response. It was so cute. Even though he talked briefly, she could tell how much he loved stones. Wait..._cute_? She shook her head.

"Okay, now it's my turn to ask something."

"Sure."

"Let's see, I hear that you're musically talented. No need to look so surprised, Ms. Lebeau told me. Anyway, would you care to elaborate on that?" Mr. Stone folded his hands neatly in his lap and faced May.

"Uh..." She felt her face heat up. "My mom made me take piano lessons. I didn't like them at first, but after some chance encounter I started to enjoy them." She smiled at the unsaid memory.

"Oh, is that so?" he commented. A knowing look graced his face.

"Mmhm. Then I guess it all just stemmed from there," May shrugged nonchalantly.

There was still a sufficient amount of time left so the two decided to carry on their conversation. May and Mr. Stone learned more about each other, enough to alleviate the bad first impressions they had. The teenager was starting to think that her teacher was pretty OK.

* * *

When the bell rang for dismissal, Mr. Stone rose up from his spot and helped May up. "Now it's the moment you've been waiting for." May groaned inwardly. "Come with me to the greenhouse."

Obediently, she followed. The older man halted in front of the structure and began to talk.

"Today you'll be helping out with some of the yard work. I'll lend a hand too, but we also need to clean up the inside of the greenhouse."

"Ah," she replied, not knowing what else to say.

* * *

The sun was starting to set by the time they had finished. "Thanks May, you really saved me here. I look forward to seeing you for the rest of the week, maybe more, after school."

This caught the girl's attention. "I thought this was a one day thing. Surely going into the greenhouse without permission isn't that problematic."

"It isn't."

"Then...why?"

Mr. Stone coughed. "You see, you're actually part of the Gardening Club now. Hold on. One of the club members is pretty sickly so they aren't able to make it all the time. Because the club is on the verge of disbanding that person wanted me to try and save the club. So that's why you're here. Hopefully your presence will increase activity and possibly attract more students. Yes, they can still join in the middle of the year."

"So you made up a horrible lie about trespassing then told me that I had detention all for the sake of some club?" May accused, gesticulating her arms.

"In a more direct way, yes," the blue-haired man said simply.

"I don't like your roundabout methods, but since it's for a good reason I'll accept it."

"Good, because you have no real say regardless."

"One more time please?"

"I jest, dear student," the science teacher smirked.

May was seriously considering reevaluating him.

* * *

_A/N: Alright, another chapter! I hope you all found this one to be entertaining. Just a heads up, the relationships in this story will progress fairly slowly. That's what I intend to write at least. As for Lisia, I had to bump up Wallace's age by five or so plus years. Just think of his older sister and him with a considerable age gap to make Lisia a conceivable teacher. For their last name, 'Lebeau' is a French surname that means 'handsome' or 'beautiful'. I found it fitting and I'm like May in the fact that I can't pronounce French words (I'll leave that to my friends). For me, May as student does generally well in all subjects and really only dislikes history and math (though she is a grade ahead in the latter subject). That's just how I see her, haha.  
_

_To all of my followers, thank you for deeming this story worth while to keep tabs on! I just get so happy when I see a notice. This also translates to reviews!_

_postiche \- I'm glad that you're enjoying it so far! I love writing the dialog between May and Brendan. Bring on the banter! About Steven, that was exactly what I was going for. It's great for comedic purposes too._

_FallenRaindrops \- I just find student/teacher stories so entertaining. I guess the scandalous aspect of it helps too. Of course, I prefer fiction to reality when it comes to this genre, haha._

_Guest \- Since you're the only guest, I think it's fine to address you this way. Thank you for reading and liking this story! :D_

_With all of that said, please do review. Tell me what you like/dislike. If you have any suggestions feel free to tell me and I might just add them. Also, if you find any grammatical errors/spelling mistakes please notify me! It's pretty embarrassing to have them there and not fix them._


	3. Piano

May patted the dirt off of her clothes and let out a yawn. Garden work was so taxing on the body. But she had a fun time despite giving her verbal disapproval to the club's sponsor: Mr. Stone. The brunette stretched her arms bending backwards letting her eyes rest on the sunset. She always loved watching them. The colors were so vibrant, taking on on a reddish hue. May's favorite color.

"Ah, since it's getting pretty late, I'll walk you home."

She turned her head to face her teacher. "Oh, no no it's fine Mr. Stone. I am _more_ than capable of walking home by myself."

The grey-eyed man gave her a smile. "Well what kind of teacher would I be if I let one of students walk home alone in the dark where dangerous things happen?"

May crossed her arms, "Why do I get the feeling that you'd be the one doing the 'dangerous things'?"

Mr. Stone faked offense. "My, I would lose credibility as a respected member of the school community! But in all seriousness, I would like to walk you home. If it makes you feel any better, think of it as my thanks for helping out the club." He gave her a more genuine smile this time. The girl sighed in defeat and accepted his offer. "Okay, I guess."

She rushed back into the school building to retrieve her items. She didn't want to make the man wait.

"Ready to leave?" he asked when she returned. May nodded her head in reply.

* * *

The walk is a quiet one. Occasionally May would steal glances towards her teacher just in case he were to do something questionable. She didn't trust him fully yet, but then again she was always a cautious person. On the times when Mr. Stone was able to catch her looking a knowing smirk would form on his face.

"I'm a pretty harmless man, you know," the older man said trying to reassure May.

"You've told me before, but- I dunno. It's just that teachers don't really walk their students home," May shrugged.

"It's just compensation for helpin-"

"Yeah yeah. I just thought you were going a bit far...I mean there are other ways of saying thank you."

"Such as?" Her teacher leaned over and grinned.

"Can you stop with that suggestive look. Maybe I should call Officer Jenny on you," May spat.

Mr. Stone rose his hands up in apology. "Alright, alright. It's just fun teasing you, haha. But what did you have in mind? In terms of repayments. I'm curious."

Suddenly put on the spot May fumbled with her words a bit. "W-well, maybe free lunch."

"Only free lunch? There's probably more that you had in mind than just 'free lunch'," the older man pressed.

"It's a way to save money since I'm living alone right now," the brunette replied. "Plus when you catch me off guard like that I forget what I think about."

"The question was hardly anything you should get flustered about. But I won't ask anymore."

May unconsciously sighed in relief. Within a few minutes the two arrived at May's apartment.

"We're here," May announced. She turned to face her teacher and gave him a polite smile. "Thanks for walking me home. Good night!"

Mr. Stone bid farewell and began walking down the hallway. May opened the door to her apartment but stopped midway when she noticed that her teacher was walking down the wrong way.

"Mr. Stone!" she called to him. The man looked back to see the girl all confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're going the wrong way aren't you? The steps to the entrance are over there," May answered while pointing in the direction opposite to that of Mr. Stone's.

"No, I don't have anywhere else to go so I'm going home."

Then it clicked. Mr. Stone looked thoroughly amused. "Surprised?" The teenaged girl nodded dumbly, still wondering what to make of this situation.

"Well I really must take my leave. Good night, May," the silver-blue-haired man waved, walking into his apartment.

* * *

May washed up and flopped down onto her bed when she finished. She groaned into her pillow.

"So it wasn't really repayment since he was just heading in the same direction! How sneaky playing it off like at." At the realization May found herself a bit disappointed. Maybe it was because the teacher's gesture wasn't sincere as she initially thought. Or may it was something else.

Then it dawned on May that she still had homework. She unwillingly got back off of her bed and rummaged through her backpack, taking out her assignments. Speaking of assignments, how was she suppose to do her music project without a piano to use? May let out another groan. It was a problem she could solve tomorrow.

Once she completed all of her work the brunette finally set off for bed. Wiped out from the day's events it took her no time to fall asleep.

* * *

It was seven in the morning when May woke up. She decided that that was a reasonable time to wake up each day. It gave her some room to do extra things if she had to on top of her normal routine.

She dressed herself up and ate some cereal. Simple and quick. Just how she liked it, on weekdays anyway. May took note of her lack of food supplies and sighed. "I'll have to go shopping after school,"she mumbled quietly. The girl took out a pen and wrote the note on her hand since she knew she wouldn't remember otherwise.

After brushing her teeth May left for school. She couldn't help but wonder if she was going to bump into Mr. Stone. She looked down the hallway and she found herself searching for him on her walk. Hmm, I should have bumped into him by now unless? Of course! He's a teacher so he has to be at school early, May mentally kicked herself.

She went up to the classroom and took her seat. She stared outside the window while she waited for class to begin. It was fun to look at the other students arriving at school. Some people rushed with flushed faces and others sauntered by seemingly carefree. A lot of the students walked together in pairs and in groups. However, there were always those who ended up walking alone either because they wanted to or they had no other choice. That was me today, May thought. She didn't mind though.

May could see the sea of students thinning out so she guessed that the classes were going to start. Soon enough the bell rang. The brunette looked toward the seat neat to her and saw that it was empty. Was Wally absent today? That would make sense recalling what happened yesterday during P.E..

Wally had entered a coughing fit after a bit of running so he left early to go to the nurses office. May wasn't sure what was wrong with the green-haired boy health-wise but she hoped he got better. In the short amount of time she interacted with him she experienced just how sweet he was.

Homeroom and first period were uneventful and May figured that the rest of her classes would be as well. It's not like something new would happen all the time. Right? History went by without a hitch and P.E. was just P.E.. However when she went to math the class was bursting with chatter. Very uncharacteristic since most of the students there were not too enthusiastic about the subject and they didn't seem to talk much about anything else either. Of course that was just the feeling she got after her first day. Who knows? Maybe they just needed to get used to her presence or something. However, May didn't really think that was the case.

May walked into the class and saw a man standing in front of the room. His expression gave off a calm vibe but it was obvious that he was nervous seeing how he was shifting uncomfortably. Probably because he knows that the students are talking about him, May predicted. He was handsome and young and the students apparently loved that. The seventeen-year-old looked across the room to see Dawn. The blunette as well looked uneasy. May was surprised. This, she assumed, would be something Dawn would get excited about. But she supposed not. In any case, so much for having an uneventful day.

"This is Riley Earl and he'll be taking over this class for the time being. He going to organize the classes and things like that as he's a teacher in training. I'll be around for a bit and then let him handle the class by himself. So you all better behave, clear?" their math teacher announced. Everyone nodded their heads. ""Why don't you introduce yourself Mr. Earl?"

"Hello everyone I'm Riley Earl. I'm in my senior year of college and I'm aiming to be a math teacher. I've already assisted at some other schools and this one will be my last stop before I graduate in May." The dark-haired man did a short wave and a bow. May couldn't help but think that he would have to do the same intro for the other math classes as well. How tiring it must be. She would know since she did the exact same thing the day before.

A curious thing she happened to notice was that as Mr. Earl lifted his face back up there was a brief moment when he and Dawn held gazes. Did they know each other? May would have to ask Dawn later.

Class went on as usual and then the time came for lunch. Dawn went to May's side and practically dragged her out of the room. She seemed to in a hurry to get out of the classroom. Once the two were far enough away Dawn released May's wrist.

"What was that all about?" May asked while rubbing the place she was held. Dawn's strong, she noted.

The blunette let out a half-laugh half-sigh and responded. "I'll tell you at lunch."

* * *

May and Dawn got their lunches and sat at a table near the far end of the cafeteria, Dawn's wish.

"So Riley. I mean Mr. Earl. Was actually my neighbor, well he is now because he just moved in again," Dawn started in a hushed tone.

"But wait. Isn't he still in college? What about the commute?" It didn't make sense to May that he would move during this time.

Her friend sighed. "Where he lived before was close to the college but he wanted to move back before school ended so that he didn't have to worry about packing or something when everything get busy. I think. Just so we're clear he never lived on campus since he lived so close."

"Wow, you sure know a lot about him," May commented.

"Here's the thing, I don't. I'm gonna give you some background info and see if you can help out somehow."

"We just met, you sure you trust me?"

"May, I've got good eyes. You're a keeper and plus I really like you. Also, I know what went on with the gardening club and that's a good enough indication of the type of person you are," Dawn affirmed.

The brunette moved a bit in her seat. Dawn doesn't hold back on her thoughts and her little statement made May feel happy. "Okay I'm listening."

"Mr. Earl, as I mentioned before, used to be my neighbor. I pretty much grew up with him and as things progress I started to like like him. I know it's cliché sounding but I couldn't help it. He was so nice and he was someone I looked up to. During middle school he and his family were moving and I was _devastated _at the news. I mean I wanted to say 'please stay' but even I knew it was out of our control. So before he left I confessed. We stayed in touch for a bit but stopped somewhere along the way. This is the first time I've seen him in person in five years."

"Now I know why you were so eager to leave," May processed. "Now that you've told me what's going on, what do you want me to do?" She was just moving her fork across the tray since she finished her lunch a while ago. Dawn still had to finish since she spent the time talking.

"Truthfully, I just wanted someone to know what I'm going through and to have some support. I'm sorry for choosing you out of the blue, but there's just," Dawn waved her hands around, "_something_ about you, I guess, that makes me want to pour my heart out to you."

"Oh Dawn you don't need to be sorry. I just feel great to have met someone to willing to talk to me. You've made the transition of school much easier for me. So I guess we're both using each other."

Dawn let out a laugh. "Yeah."

The two kept on talking and during that time Brendan and Barry sat down too, joining in the their conversation.

Dawn opening up to her and just being with her in general felt so natural, even though they never knew each other before until recently. In fact, being with everyone at the table felt the same way. How curious.

* * *

Once lunch was over May went to language class and then on to music. The girl was in a _very_ dire situation. Or at least she thought so.

While the rest of the class was working on their projects May went up to Ms. Lisia.

"Um, Ms. Lisia?"

"Yes, May?"

"I'm choosing to create a couple of piano pieces."

"That's fantabulous!"

"But the thing is-"

"Hmm?"

"It occurred to me that I have no access to a piano or rather I have no piano to practice with...so I was wondering if the school has one? I mean, aside from the one the class uses."

The young woman thought for a few seconds. "Ah! Yes we do! If you hadn't asked me I probably would've forgotten that we even had another piano room. It's funny since we only ever use the piano here, but I assure that what I've said is true. But I must warn you that it might be out of tune and it might be a while before a tuner comes in."

"That's fine. I'm just happy to know that I can start on my project so quickly!" May beamed. The teacher led the way to the room.

"If you want to spend the rest of the period here that's fine. There's only ten more minutes left. You have all of your things?"

The brunette nodded in reply. "I do!"

"Even if it's for a project, I want you to have fun with the piano!" And with that Ms. Lisia left.

May was surprised at the amount of freedom her teacher gave her, but she was grateful all the same.

She eyed the piano. It didn't look as though it was unused. The instrument glistened from the light streaming though the windows so it must have been cleaned not too long ago. May sat down at the keys and tapped on a few. _It's still in tune! I'll have to tell Ms. Lisia later. _May was giddy at this discovery. She took a deep breath and began to play one her favorite songs. It was a tune she learned from a friend when she was younger. The name of it was something she did not know. Minutes passed by then the bell rang. May remained in the room because it was study hall so why not?

She lifted her hands to start playing another piece but as soon as she touched the keys she blacked out.

* * *

May heard people calling her name and she tried to respond but she ended up saying nonsensical things instead. Slowly she opened up her eyes to see Dawn hovering over her. The blunette practically leaped on her while Brendan and Barry stood by at a distance. "I'm so glad you're okay," the pink-loving girl exclaimed. May let out a tired laugh. "I'm fine Dawn. No need to worry!" The bed-ridden girl saw something flicker in Dawn's eyes. Was she just imagining it? "Do you know what happened to me, though?"

Brendan stepped up. "The nurse said it was from lack of nutrition. I hope you're not skipping meals, May. You know my family will always welcome you."

May smiled and shook her head. "I really appreciate that Brendan. But I don't want trouble you too much. Hold off on saying anything I'm not done," the brunette rose a finger to stop her friend who had begun to open his mouth, "I mean that if I come I'll probably want to come everyday and your food stock will probably be gone pretty quickly."

"True. Still, if you ever want to come over-"

"I'll be there."

Barry pointed at May and shouted: "If you ever get yourself hurt again, I'll fine you!" That statement earn him a whack from Dawn and another giggle from May. May felt so loved.

"By the way, what time is it?" she asked.

"Study hall ended a few minutes before you woke up. We all rushed to see you," Dawn replied.

"But how did you know?"

"We keep a tracking device on you, of course. Just kidding~! I saw you in the nurse's office and called Brendan and Barry over."

May reassured them that she was well now and after some more chatting they left leaving May in the room. She wanted to stay back since she thought it was best to go to the gardening club.

Just as she was about to get up from the bed she heard a someone talking.

"I was looking for you."

"Hi Mr. Stone."

The grey-eyed man went to her side, grasped her shoulders, and gently set her back down on the bed. "You just blacked out right? I heard from the nurse."

May looked to the side. "W-well not _just_. I mean I'm better _now_." She noticed that he still hadn't moved his hands. "Besides, we need to some gardening, right?"

Mr. Stone sighed. "May, I'm not that cruel as to make you work when you've obviously haven't been taking care of yourself. I heard that you haven't been eating well."

"That's not true! I've been perfectly-" but the brunette clamped her mouth shut when she saw the teacher's expression.

"I'll take you up on the offer then," Mr. Stone declared. "The one about treating you to lunch. Only I'll treat you to dinner instead." He clarified after noticing that May had scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion.

"No, that's fine!" May declined.

"May, I want you to eat well and besides, it'll boost your performance as a student if you take care of your body. That's it. It's all settled. You'll be eating with me for dinner." He gave a satisfactory nod and removed his hands from her shoulders. He stood up to leave but not before adding, "Also, it's kinda lonely eating all by yourself, right?"

The seventeen-year-old girl confessed that she did miss eating with others.

"I'll be waiting for you near the school gates. Club activities are canceled and instead we're going to buy some groceries."

May didn't have time to retort. She leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I declined Brendan, but why not Mr. Steven?"

Her shoulders were still warm after the teacher left.

"I better get ready I guess," May murmured to herself, leaving the nurse's office.

* * *

_A/N: I just wanted to apologize for the extremely long wait. I also apologize for such a short chapter. Man, it's only been two days and so much has happened to May. Hopefully things will die down soon. Also, did you guys notice any interesting interactions? I wonder why they happened...hmm. Sorry that a lot of this chapter was on Dawn and Riley, but I needed to add that for the later chapters. At least there's a little bit of May/Steven action at the end. Yeah? I have more of the story plotted down so this project won't **that** much of a fumbling mess!  
_

_As always, please do review! If I've made any grammatical errors or punctuation mistakes, please tell me. I find it embarrassing to just leave them there. And there should be quite a bit since I tend to write late at night. I try to fix them as soon as I notice them too, but I'm certainly not perfect! _

_Chapter 4 should be up by the end of this month. I hope *crosses fingers*_


	4. Close to Me

"Are you all set to go?"

"Yes."

"Right this way then."

Mr. Stone walked to his car while May followed behind him. Is it okay to be this close with a teacher? The brunette asked herself. In any case, she's going to go grocery shopping just like she planned earlier. How convenient!

She looked over her teacher's car. It wasn't fancy or anything, but it was clearly well kept. For some reason she was expecting a convertible. He's always dressed and had an air of sophistication to him.

Mr. Stone got into the driver's seat and patted the spot next to him. "Is there anything the matter?" he asked her, rolling down the window. May was still standing outside of the passenger's seat. There was something pulling her back from sitting up front. "No, nothing's wrong," she replied, getting into the car. Mr. Stone didn't seem convinced, however it wasn't something that needed investigation at the moment.

"Then let's head off!" the older man cheered.

May looked at the buildings that passed by. "Thank you Mr. Stone and I'm sorry that I'm making you go out of your way for me."

"Hmm, there's no reason to apologize. I needed to go shopping anyway and by the looks of it you needed to do the same."

"How did-"

"Your hand, May, your hand. You wrote and I quote: 'I HAVE TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING AFTER SCHOOL TODAY' so largely on it that no one could miss it," he laughed in amusement.

May looked to the side. "True." Even so, he really had to pay attention to her to notice.

"Well, we're here," Mr. Stone announced as he parked the car. When they both got out he asked, "Is there anything particular you want to eat?"

"Not really. I was just going to buy things that were on sale and make something from that," May shrugged.

"I see. Let's go inside and see what we can find then."

May surveyed the fresh produce while her teacher went to fetch a basket. When she was younger she would come to this grocery store with her mother all the time. Upon entering the establishment she was surprised that it didn't change even after all these years. It was the only store at the time too. Now, though, more shops have sprung up with much more variety. "I wonder why Mr. Stone chose this place," May thought out loud.

"You wonder what?"

The brunette tensed up in surprise as she felt her teacher's presence very close behind her. "Ah, nothing really. You got the basket?" The man nodded.

"Did you find anything interesting?" he asked.

"I found some tomatoes on sale as well as basil and- Oh! What do you have at home. There's no need to buy doubles," May answered.

"I go to the market everyday since I only buy enough for one day. So I don't have any perishables. "

May thought for a bit while tapping her chin. "That makes it easy then. Do you have any pasta at home then? They would keep for a long time."

"Yes, I do. We're going to have pasta tonight I'm assuming?"

The girl smiled in response and began picking out tomatoes. Mr. Stone went around to get the other ingredients. There was a light spring in his step as he did so.

Gathering and buying everything didn't take long so the two were in the teacher's apartment fairly quickly.

May was going to ask whether it was okay to take off her shoes upon entering his apartment when saw him remove his footwear. Still, she thought it was better to ask. The older man said that he didn't mind either way so she took off her shoes. It was more comfortable.

Mr. Stone pointed to where May could put her belongings so she wouldn't have to worry about them. The seventeen-year-old noticed that some parts of the apartment seemed untouched while others were used on the daily. The most intriguing characteristic of the whole place was the display cases filled with minerals and stones and the bookshelves with nothing but, what a shocker, books about stones! May already knew about his obsession, or enthusiasm, as he liked to call it, with rocks because of their conversation yesterday, however, this was beyond her expectations. When she noted the areas that were inhabited frequently, she really meant the areas around the bookshelves and cases. Her teacher sure was an entertaining one, even if that sounded a bit mean.

May lingered in front of the rocks for a while more before heading into the kitchen.

"I'm all ready to cook, Mr. Stone," the brunette declared, tying up her hair.

Mr. Stone smiled. "Me too." He grabbed a couple of things off a nearby rack. "Here," he said, handing May an apron, "put this on. It'd be bad if you stained your clothes."

"Thank you." The apron she wore had small pictures of colorful rocks. She never knew such a product existed. Then again, she never thought there would be enough demand for mineral prints for it to be profitable. You learn new things everyday, I guess, May shrugged to herself.

Despite Mr. Stone's reservations about wanting to share the cooking duties, he was subjected to just monitoring the boiling water (at least making sure that the water reached its boiling point) and taking care that the pasta wasn't overdone.

"May, are you sure that-"

"I'm fine," the girl cut him off. She was having fun preparing the food and consequently took control of the majority of the jobs. Mr. Stone didn't mind it much, May was enjoying herself. Still, he felt guilty for not doing anything more than what he was "assigned" to do. He watched the pot, but the water wasn't boiling. Simmering, he supposed. The man sighed, it would take a little bit longer until the water reached the right temperature. Then a realization came upon him. "A watched pot never boils!" Mr. Stone turned around, but in doing so his hand brushed the hot pot and water splashed onto his arm. Thankfully it wasn't much, but the man hissed at the contact.

May took notice and instantly stopped what she was doing. "Steven are you okay?!" she asked frantically. She went over to him and took the arm he was clutching. "I'm, fine," the man tried to reassure her. "We both know that isn't that case," the girl replied, dragging her teacher towards the sink. "True," Mr. Stone hung his head low in defeat.

"Wait. Did you just call me 'Steven'?"

May lifted his arm to the faucet then stopped momentarily to answer his question. "I didn't say 'Mr. Stone'?"

Mr. Stone shook his head. "Not at all. 'Steven' is my first name, too."

"Then that can't be right. I don't even know your first name. I mean, a lot of students don't even know their teachers' first names."

"Well, you know now." Again, there was something about this incident that made Mr. Stone curious. He thoughts here were interrupted, though, when May turned on the faucet, letting the cold water fall onto his burnt arm. Mr. Stone grimaced.

After he was cooled down, May had him sit out. She didn't want him to be hurt again. He tried to argue that all he was doing was watching a pot. May shot back that he apparently couldn't even do that much. The older man jokingly expressed that he should receive more respect from his junior.

"It's time to eat!" May called out. She placed the dishes on, what she guessed was, the dining table. Mr. Stone got up from wherever he was waiting and proceeded to get out the eating utensils. He had to do _something._

They both took their first bite at the same time. Mr Stone was the first to speak up. "This is well made, May! It's very delicious."

May squinted at him. "You're just trying to butter me up, Ste- Mr. Stone." Her teacher took on a look of surprise, but not for the reason she thought. "I'm just joking! You tease me, so I thought it'd be okay if I did so once...But I appreciate your opinion." The girl smiled in an awkward way that indicated that she was, just a bit, embarrassed.

"Hm? Ah, yes. I wouldn't lie about good food." The grey-eyed man smiled back. "Say," he began, twirling the pasta with his fork, "When we're eating together, or rather when we're together after school, why don't you call me 'Steven'?"

The sudden suggestion took May off guard. "But isn't that weird and kinda disrespectful?" In truth, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to carry out the request. What compelled her to feel that way was something she didn't know.

"'Disrespectful' you say and yet you speak to me to casually."

"You do have a point."

"Then why don't you try it?"

"Try what?"

"Addressing me by my first name!"

"No way!"

"You had no trouble doing so when you were tending to my arm!"

"But that was an accident!"

"Okay, but don't try to deny that you were about to say it again when I complimented your cooking."

May furrowed her eyebrows. It was a mistake and she quickly corrected it. He catches on fast, she noted. That fact didn't disturb her though, he showed signs of being quick witted many times during their interactions. What did disturb her was that she somehow knew his first name, and not only that, his name rolled off her tongue so easily. She was pretty damn sure she had never met him before moving.

"Fine, _Steven_. Steven Steven Steven _Steven,_" May repeated her teacher's name getting used to its feel.

"Thank you, _May_. May May May _May_," the older man grinned. Needless to say, Steven was happy about this development. "Since we're going to do this regularly, you might as well get used to calling me 'Steven'. To be honest, it'd be rather awkward. Or maybe uncomfortable? You understand what I mean, yes?"

May nodded. She supposed he wanted to take down this barrier in order for her to feel better.

"C'mon, let's finish eating," the brunette sighed.

After the meal they both put away the dishes, Steven doing his best despite the pain in his arm.

"Well, I appreciate you having me over, Steven," May started, "Are you sure that this is going to be an everyday thing, though?"

"Yes!" the man replied without hesitation.

"T-then I suppose I'll s-see you tomorrow," the brunette said, a bit embarrassed to see her teacher's enthusiasm. She gathered her things and walked towards the door. "Bye, Steven."

"Don't forget to come by tomorrow~! After all, you get to spend more quality alone time-" the blue-haired man was cut off by door that slammed shut.

"How shameless," May huffed, hearing her teacher before closing the door on him.

The next day, as planned, May and Steven ate dinner together. They went to the same grocery store after club activities and picked out ingredients. She could get used to having company.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since May had started eating with Steven. School was as usual, though she was starting to wonder what happened to Wally. He hadn't attended school recently, she would have to ask Steven later. However, her thoughts were moved in another direction when she went to math class.

The students were assigned to work on a review packet for an upcoming test. They were permitted to move seats and collaborate so long as it didn't hinder their progress. With that being said, Dawn went to May without hesitation.

"So...May..." the dark blue-haired girl began, taking a seat next to May. She leaned forward and move her face in close.

This didn't seem good. May leaned back and gulped. "Yes...Dawn...?"

"You seem rather cheerful lately, especially when you're getting ready to stay after school. I couldn't help but notice that you're getting awfully close to Mr. Stone."

May hummed. "It's only natural I'd get closer to Stev- Mr. Stone since we stay after school together practically everyday."

Dawn didn't look convinced. She looked over the review packet and started some problems before continuing her inquiries. Plus she had to look like she was doing something. "I'm not convinced. You're pretty easy to read."

The brunette sighed. She knew Dawn would pester her without relent. It was probably best to just tell her now and save her some grief. It wasn't like she her interactions with Steven were scandalous or anything.

"Well," said May. Her friend's blue eyes lit up in anticipation. "He's giving me free food." It wasn't a lie, but then she saw a flaw in her wording. "Wai-"

"So he's a sugar daddy! I knew it! Actually, I didn't. This is a pretty unexpected outcome." Dawn was rambling now.

"Dawn."

"Mr. Stone was _that_ kind of man? Sure he seemed like the wealthy sort, but never-"

"Dawn."

"May, don't succumb to him! Just because he's good-looking and, supposedly, has a lot of money-"

"DAWN!" May half-shouted half-whispered. "Mr. Stone is just helping me out." She explained her situation to the blue-haired girl. She chose her words carefully to ensure that she wasn't being misinterpreted. When she finished Dawn nodded her head and crossed her arms.

"I see, I see. You do know about the possible complications right?" she asked. May hummed in affirmation.

"Okay. So long as you aren't caught, I guess you're fine or something. If you need anything, just ask~!" Dawn cheered.

Apparently the girls were a bit too loud near the end of their conversation as Mr. Earl looked over. Specifically, he was looking at Dawn. May noticed and looked towards her as well. Dawn was slumped in her chair, staring in a direction away from the teacher in training. Luckily, he didn't look for long.

Dawn's change in character worried May. "Dawn, we should probably talk in private later," she suggested.

"Yeah."

The period passed by and they completed all of the math problems. May didn't know how they were able to do that, but she wasn't going to complain or anything.

During lunch Dawn hinted at wanting to eat in a different location. May guessed she didn't want Barry or Brendan to be a part of this. Something was telling her that it was Barry she was most concerned about. The reason for that was unknown to her, though.

On the school's rooftop, May was first to break the silence."You know, you're pretty easy to read too."

Dawn laughed. "I know." The blue-haired girl picked at her lunch.

"So talk to me instead of keeping it in."

"He came to my house the other day and we talked for a bit. This is the first time we've talked since he came, to clarify that for you."

"M-kay. Goh unnn," May replied, chewing her sandwich.

"It started with the usual small talk like 'how are you' and 'what have you been doing' and stuff like that. Then he asked me, 'do you still like me?'" Dawn's voice when quiet when she said the last sentence.

The brunette leaned against her friend's shoulder. "And so what did you say?"

Dawn sighed, "I didn't say anything. He took my hand and came closer to me...and then we kissed."

May's sapphire eyes grew wide. "What!?"

The blue-haired girl covered her face with her hands. "I know. I'm supposed to feel neglected and turn him away and here I am kissing him back," she cried out. "But I love his touch, his warmth."

May stayed silent as she deemed it best to do so and rubbed Dawn's back in a comforting way while the girl bawled. When Dawn calmed down, May broke the silence once more. "What are you going to do about it?"

Dawn sniffed a bit. "I just need to sort out my feelings."

"I'll kick his ass if you need me to," May offered.

Her friend smiled. "I'd rather you not. You're pretty weak!"

"Hey! I am not!" May flexed her arms to prove Dawn wrong. "See?"

"All I see if flab. Maybe you should eat less when you're with Mr. Stone."

A pout formed on May's face, but a giggle escaped her lips. Soon enough Dawn joined in. The brunette was glad to see her friend in a better mood. Once lunch time was over, they both departed to their next class.

During her walk, May recalled what Dawn had said.

"_But I love his touch, his warmth."_

An image of Steven appeared in her mind and she subconsciously licked her lips. It was all too easy to imagine him holding her, kissing her...

May shook her head. No, she shouldn't be thinking about this, they barely knew each other. And uh, he was her _teacher._

Language class went by and then it was time for music. She was able to go off on her own and compose on the piano, then again, such an occurrence became routine for her. Of course, she was only able to leave after the necessary instruction from Ms. Lisia.

As always, she was the only one there. Not that there would ever be others in the piano room since no one really knew about it. May tested some notes. On the times when she was satisfied with how they sounded she'd scrawl them on a piece of paper.

She was so engrossed with writing that she didn't notice that someone had entered the room.

"It sounds good, May."

"Thank you, Mr. Stone."

"Not a problem." Her teacher sauntered over to the piano, interested in what May was doing.

"Do you play?" May asked Steven.

"I used to when I was younger."

Ah, May got an idea. She scooted to an end of the piano bench and patted the empty space beside her. "Play something for me then!" Her teacher sat down beside her and took up her offer.

"Okay, I'll show you what I'm made of." A grin spread across his face.

His fingers descended upon the piano keys, each note rang with a clear tone. May observed his hands, his movements. He was so elegant. Whilst playing his demeanor changed too she noted. Wait, she thought, I recognize this! Steven was playing the same song she had played on the day she passed out in this very room. How did he know it, though? The tune wasn't a famous one, rather she had wrote it with someone. But with who? Her memory was a bit hazy.

The last measure that had to be played caused Steven to press his shoulder to May's in order to reach the needed notes. He turned his head to face May after he finished playing. The teacher made no attempt at removing their contact and asked in a low tone, "How was it?" His breath was close to her ear and she shivered. "Beautiful," she whispered. Surely her face was red or if Steven didn't notice that, then maybe he could hear her rapid heartbeat. The room was painfully quiet so it wouldn't be much of a stretch. If she hadn't had that brief fantasy earlier perhaps she wouldn't have felt overly conscious of older man's presence.

They leaned closer to each other.

* * *

_A/N: So it's kinda been over a month since I've updated and I truly do feel awful for that. I've been thinking about how I would write this chapter and re-wrote many parts multiple times. I don't know how satisfied I feel about this one, but I'm not disappointed (though I do wish this was a bit longer). School has taken over my life, so that's one reason for the delay. However, I don't want to start spewing out excuses. I hope you all found this chapter enjoyable. I tried to add some sweet moments to make up for the long overdue chapter...Cliche? Yes. But I'm writing this with the intention of having some cliches (for kicks, haha).  
_

_As always, please tell me what you liked/disliked or if I've made some grammatical, punctuation, and/or spelling error. This chapter was a bit rushed so there should be quite a few. I usually catch and correct mistakes by the next day, but I'm not perfect. I figure it'd be best not to make you all wait some more. Also, I'm always up for some suggestions if you have any._


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